Lower School Arts

List of 4 members.

• 

  Bill Jacob 

  Creative Arts Department Chair, Middle & Upper School Drama Teacher

  617-278-2330

  BIO

  As a teacher, Bill believes in progressive education that emphasizes a student-centered, constructivist approach to active learning that stresses teacher facilitation, cooperative problem solving, and individual reflection. He is convinced by Carol Dweck’s research that classroom environment and teacher attitudes toward intelligence and learning influence the classroom experience and learning outcomes, and subscribes to Gardner’s theories about multiple intelligences and the need to adapt teaching approaches to support individual learning styles. Bill believes that good teaching begins with personal connection, understanding, and care, and that an understanding of the cognitive and developmental sciences, as well as current best practices, provides the tools necessary for a growth-minded approach to education.

  
  Bill has taught theatre, public speaking, and creative writing at Brimmer for over 20 years. He is also a cooperating practitioner with Emerson College and an adjunct professor in Lesley University’s Creative Arts and Learning program. Bill grew up in Italy and Venezuela and worked in New York City as a professional actor for several years before moving to Boston to work as a theatre artist and educator in Boston and Provincetown. His plays have been produced by the Speakeasy Theatre Company, Stage One of Providence, Harwich Junior Theatre, and Emerson College, and he has received numerous grants to write plays collaboratively with students in area schools, among others. For the last few summers, Bill has worked for Johns Hopkins University as a site director for the Centers for Talented Youth program in Monterrey, Mexico, Great Barrington, Mass., and Princeton University. He has enjoyed associations with Joe Papp’s Public Theatre, Soho Rep, the Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Delaware Rep, among others. He has toured nationally with Los Titeres de Chaciporra, a Lorca farce, and internationally with the Royal Theatre of Spain’s production of Life Is a Dream, and was a founding member of the street theatre group, Commedia 'del I.R.T.

  
  Bill holds a Massachusetts Certification in Drama (K-12) and English (5-12) and is a member of the American Association of Theatre Educators (AATE), the National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP), and the Actors Equity Association (AEA). On behalf of Brimmer’s CAP Program in collaboration with the Charles Sumner School of Roslindale, Bill has accepted the ARTS | LEARNING (2017) Outstanding Community Arts Education Collaborative Award and an Outstanding Community Service Award from Parents in Independent Schools Network (PIN) in 2004, 2011, 2012 and 2015. Bill has also received a Boston City Council Resolution (2009) Recognition for Sustained Community Service in the Arts, and an Outstanding Arts Educator in Drama award by the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education (1998).
• 

  Joanne Clamage 

  Lower School Creative Arts Coordinator & Visual Arts Teacher

  617-264-1421

  BIO

  Joanne has a rich background in teaching and arts administration, having been in the profession for almost 40 years.

  
  Prior to starting at Brimmer in 2002, she was the lead teacher for art and music for the Nashoba Regional School District and taught Visual Arts in Stow, Mass., for 12 years.

  
  Joanne is a firm supporter of Brimmer’s innovative spirit in creating and presenting curriculum. She is proud to be a part of a collaborative Pre-K-12 learning environment that is charged with energy and excitement for both teachers and students.

  
  Joanne has participated in graduate-level coursework; Sign Language, “American Impressionism” at the Worcester Art Museum and “Global Art Traditions in the United States” at Primary Source. This past year Joanne completed two 6-week training courses in Mindfulness in Schools.  

  
  For 13 years Joanne has been a practicing Critical Friends Group Coach at Brimmer and has been trained by the National School Reform Faculty. She has been a workshop presenter and panelist at the New England Art Educators Conference and at several Very Special Arts Massachusetts events. In her spare time, Joanne enjoys costuming, quilt making, basketry, and antiquing. Joanne has exhibited her fiber works in galleries in Boston and Rhode Island.  
• 

  Rachel Wolf Heyman 

  LS Drama Teacher, LS Diversity Facilitator

  617-278-2346

  BIO

  Rachel is a student-centered educator who believes that educational theatre helps students to grow both creatively and as collaborative, confident citizens in the greater community. Her drama work in other states and countries has influenced her teaching and directing. She celebrates diversity in the drama classroom by using literature and scripts with global and multicultural themes. She loves teaching in a learning community that values the arts in education as much as she does. In addition to teaching Lower School Drama, Rachel facilitates the 5th Grade Diversity Lunch Bunch.

  
  Prior to joining Brimmer, Rachel taught drama and directed plays for many schools, theaters, and arts organizations throughout the Northeast. She enjoys Brimmer’s creative approach to teaching and learning, appreciates the close relationships of the faculty and students, and values the School’s focus on the Core Values of respect, responsibility, honesty, equity, and kindness. 

  
  Rachel holds Massachusetts and New York State Certifications in Educational Theatre for grades Pre-K through 12 and is a member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE). She is a trained Critical Friends Group (CFG) Coach, and is certified in Mindfulness Fundamentals. While at New York University, Rachel studied community theatre of the Caribbean through a course in Puerto Rico. She was a recipient of the Myoung-Cheul Chung Scholarship in Educational Theatre at New York University in 2006.
• 

  Caroline Scheibe 

  Lower School Music, Choral and Band

  617-264-1432

  BIO

  In the music classroom, Caroline aims to guide students toward becoming tuneful, beautiful, and artful human beings. Her utmost hope is that students will leave her classes with a joyful appreciation for music-making in all its forms, and that they will seek out musical experiences in their adult lives. Caroline is certified in the First Steps in Music and Conversational Solfege methodologies developed by Dr. John Feierabend. She also holds a Massachusetts Initial Music Education License. 

   

  Caroline comes from a musical family, in which singing is an important part of family gatherings. She studied Music and had vocal training at Oberlin College, where she also completed her Masters in Music Teaching. Caroline now performs regularly with the Seraphim Singers, a semi-professional choir based in Brookline. 

   

  When she is not making music, Caroline enjoys trying out new recipes and spending time with her pet rabbits, Ramona and Amber. In the summer months she enjoys traveling to new places and spending time with family.